Tribeca Defends Exclusion of LGBT Films

The Trump/Pence era anti-LGBT movement is gaining momentum. Following the controversial decision to ban LGBTs from the Philadelphia Flower Show earlier this year, the next high-profile event to follow suit is the Tribeca Film Festival. What makes this more notable is that the traditionally liberal and left-leaning organizers are resolute in defending their exclusion of LGBT films. The Turunn Tribune talked to a key member of the event’s Selection Committee who told us:

The furor is misplaced; Low-Grossing Belgian Thrillers have never been popular at Tribeca, and the fact that we have excluded them this year should not be a surprise to anyone. The 2017 festival’s focus will remain on VR in all its manifestations.

To privilege Vasomotor Rhinitis–a seemingly commonplace medical topic–over LGBT films is putting a few liberal noses out of joint. Is Tribeca caving-in to populism? Would the decision have been the same if the festival were not screened during allergy season?